Manner of constrtjctiitg beehives



2 SheetsSheet 1. J. LE PATOUREL;

Patented June 11, 1841,

Bee Hive.

' 2 SheetsSheet.2. J. LE PATOUREL.

Bee Hive;

Patented June 11, 1841.

FIG. 2.

FIG-.3.

N. PETE-H5 Phmumn n hu, Washinghrm o. c.

nnrrnn STATES rarnur osmo JAMES LE PARTOUREL, OF

'OHANDLERSV'ILLE, OHIO.

MANNZEROF CONSTRUCTING BEEI-IIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 2,122, dated June 11, 1841.

T 0 all whom z'zf may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES Ln PA'roUnEL, of 'Chaindlersvil le, in the county of Muskingum and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Beehives, which is described as follows, reference be ing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of the same.

Figure 1 is a perspective view; Fig. 2, vertical longitudinal section; Fig. 8, the comb rack; Fig. 4, one of the glasses.

Similar letters in the figures refer to similar parts.

The nature of my improvementis such, that I am enabled to take out the honey, &c., from the hive without destroying the bees, and without running any risk of being injured by them; and by the arrangement of the glasses I prevent the moth which is so destructive to bees from fixing itself within them.

To enable others to use my improvement, I will now describe its construction.

The beehive A may be supported on a stand of ordinary construction; or it may be suspended by any suitable arrangement. The beehive resembles a house in miniature. It is composed of a frame of four vertical sides, covered with a roof B, which is movable on a hinge. The frame is about 6 ft. long of suitable width and about 18 inches high more or less. The sides inclose three chambers or apartments C C C -there being one on each end, and a center one C longer than the rest. Each of these apartments U is closed by a cover D D D fitting them exactly; the covers D D to the end apartments move up and down by a hinge, and the center one D is screwed down in its place, and is seldom used, because the original stock of bees are placed in that apartment. Each of the said covers is pierced with two circular apertures E in which I insert the shanks of the glasses to be describedbe sides these I have in each of the end covers, two other circular apertures F for the insertion of the prongs or pipes from the smoking furnace G and in the center cover I have a large circular aperture between the two which contain the glasses, and closed by a movable cover H. The apertures in all the covers aforesaid can be closed by a sliding door I, which is fixed to the cover, and adjacent to the aperture, there being three apartments there are two vertical partitions K dividing them. In each of these partitions is a square or otherwise shaped aperture of any size, and provided with a vert-ical sliding door L, which closes or opens the same when required. In each apart ment, there are two comb racks M each of these racks is made of wood, and is composed of a flat bar M and as many prongs or racks N projecting from said bar downward as may be deemed desirable, and as long as may be necessary-these racks so combined rest by the Hat bar on the sides of the frame, and extend across the interior of the apartment; these racks are removable when required. The bottom O of the in terior of each apartment aforesaid resembles a hollow inverted pyramid; at the bottom of this arranged pyramid, the bees enter into the apartment. The construction of this is as follows from the bottom of each side piece of the frame, and about the width of the chamber or apartment two pieces'of plank are inclined to one other (the lower ends being about 6 inches wide more or less) till they meet, one of the said planks projecting a little beyond the end of the other, so as to give the bees a resting place I from the other two sides of the chamber also extend downward two other pieces till they meet the ends or sides of the former ones, thus forming end pieces or sides to-the former two.

By narrowing the entrance as I have done, I prevent the ingress of too great a draft in the hive.

The glasses Q are intended to hold the honey; they are made like a bowl with a hollow stem R extending from the bottom of the bowl below to a suitable length say 5 inches more or less the diameter of these will be 9 inches either more or less on the top of the said bowl, is placed a movable glass cover S; through the center of the top of this cover is pierced a circular aperture X for purposes hereinafter specified, but when not used for said purposes, I keep closed by corks placed therein. The bottom of the bowl being tapered or rounded off to the hollow of the stem, prevents the moth or miller from getting a hold to deposit its eggs, as they must slide off down into the hive below; in the old arrangement of glasses, the bottom of the bowl was uppermost, and the whole laid on a shelf or an aperture where the bees entered; this afforded a resting place for the eggs; between the aperture and glass. To each circular aperture as before mentioned, (the two in each cover over the chambers) is provided one of these glasses the stem aforesaid being placed therein, and extending a little downward in the apartment below. To keep these glasses steady, three or more uprights are placed around the circumference of the bowl fixed permanently on the cover.

To see the operations of the bees in each apartment, I have made a glass window, with a shutter T to each apartment both, on the front and back sides.

The smoking furnace G is used, with a peculiar composition, for the purpose of expelling the bees from one apartment, by means of smoke coming from said composition. It is composed of a furnace G, and two prongs or branches U coming from the top thereof; and turned, and bent downward a suitable length, say -1 ft. more or less. The furnace G is a vertical hollow cylinder, capped with a cap G resembling a frustum of a cone, and a door is made to the cylinder to insert the composition to be fired. The whole is made of brass or any other suitable material and rests upon a bottom plate V. The distance between each prong at the lower end thereof must be the same as that between the center of each set of glasses in each cover as aforesaid. The composition I use for the purpose of creating a smoke, to annoy the bees, so as to drive them out of any apartment I wish, and yet not injure them is as follows (the weights being avoirdupois): sulfur, 3 oz.;

pitch. or tar, l oz.; tobacco, 1-}- oz.; grease, lb. This composition when well mixed together; I place in the furnace, and put fire to it and create a smoke, which ascends in the furnace, and finds its way down each of the prongs or branches thereof. The furnace is intended to be moved by hand; and when I wish to drive the bees out of a set of glasses, in one cover; the ends of the prongs or branches of the furnace, is inserted into the apertures of the cover be longing to each glass, and held there, till the smoke, drives the bees out into the chamberbelow, when the glasses are removed with the honey therein, and the apertures are closed by the sliding lid; and when I wish to drive the bees out of one apartment to another I place the prongs of the furnace down the apertures in the cover into the apartment below, and the smoke enters and the bees are driven by it through the aperture in the partition dividing the apartment; which aperture is opened by the sliding door before mentioned being raised. After the bees are expelled, the cover can be raised and the comb racks as aforesaid can be removed, and the honey, &c., taken therefrom and replaced for another store. The center apartment is usually kept for the maintenance of the original stock of bees. By the movable roof being kept open, the operation of the bees in filling the glasses can be always seen.

What I claim as my invention and which I desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The manner in which the glass bowls or hives are combined with and adapted to the apertures in the cover by being formed with hollow stems as set forth.

2. I also claim the furnace constructed and combined With the hive as set forth.

JAMES LE PATOUREL.

WVitnesses LYMAN MAsoN, JoI-IN IEAUME. 

